Hundreds of swords scattered and rushed into the army, killing hundreds of soldiers.
But compared to thousands of troops, killing more than a hundred soldiers is like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to set off any significant waves.
"Heh, I thought it was so powerful, but that's it!"
"Die, little ghost!"
"I'm going to take your head off and kick it like a ball!"
"Watch Grandpa beat you back to the womb!"
Some of the generals in the army scoffed and laughed at Shirou. But the next moment, they couldn't laugh anymore.
"Broken Phantasm!"
With a low cry like a curse, a series of explosions erupted within the vast army.
Boom Boom Boom ————!!!
All the soldiers and generals who were in the vicinity of those swords were annihilated in that instantaneous blast! Then, under Shirou's deliberate manipulation, one of the swords flying through the sky rushed toward Rider.
"King!"
The sword was so fast that the generals only had time to shout before it landed in front of the Gordius Wheel that Rider was riding.
"Get out of the way!" Rider grabbed Waver, rolled up, and jumped off the chariot.
It was at that moment that the Noble Phantasm bloomed with dazzling blue light, shattered violently, and burst out with a terrifying magical aura!
Boom ————!
The massive explosion destroyed the Gordius Wheel. The surrounding soldiers, who had no time to dodge, were also caught in the blast and turned into light as they exited the field.
"That guy... so easily!"
Waver, who was put down by Rider, lay on the ground and looked at the red-haired boy standing at the far end with an incredulous expression. When he considered that the other party was also a Master, he felt mixed feelings. They are both magi, but why is the difference so vast?
"The chariot, ruined..." Waver glanced at where the Gordius Wheel had been. A large crater had appeared, and not even debris was left of the chariot. Waver felt ashamed. If it weren't for the fact that he was too weak and Rider had tried to protect him, perhaps the Gordius Wheel would not have been destroyed.
Waver looked up at Rider, a lump in his throat, and was about to say something, only to find that Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, was laughing. Even if the Gordius Wheel was destroyed, even if he fled in embarrassment, he didn't complain to Waver. There was only a smile full of conquest on his face.
Rider then looked at Shirou, drew the spatha that the King of Cyprus had paid tribute to, and spoke aloud.
"I am Iskandar, the King of Conquerors! Fujimaru Shirou, I admire you! Are you willing to follow me until we conquer the world? How about I give you this little island country?"
"..." Even Shirou couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at Rider's sudden recruitment.
However, this kind of out-of-the-box dialogue is indeed in line with the personality of this King of Conquerors. Thinking of this, Shirou shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, it's too small to consider."
Hearing the reason for Shirou's refusal, the King of Conquerors pressed his chin and thought for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Do you want me to give you a bigger one? Go back and look at the world map; will you choose the one you like?"
"?"
The corners of Shirou's mouth twitched. I politely refuse, and you still plan to discuss it with me? Shirou shook his head again, this time no longer tactfully. After all, it was not suitable for this King of Conquerors with his somewhat eccentric personality.
"It's children who make choices; I want it all."
This time it was the King of Conquerors' turn to be serious.
"That's not going to work! It looks like the only option between us is to fight."
With that, the King of Conquerors pointed his sword at Shirou without hesitation. Waver and Saber both looked at Rider and Shirou, who were arguing about this issue, with blank expressions. For a moment, they felt their brains stall, and they didn't know what to say.
Then, as the two fell silent, Rider raised his sword and said in a loud voice.
"Tell me, what does it mean to conquer?"
Waver's face was puzzled. Who was Rider asking? But here, apart from heaven and earth, only the enemy and he remained. Who was he really questioning? Was it this side of heaven and earth? Waver felt like his brain was about to rust; his talent for reasoning played no role in such nonsense. He only thought that Rider was probably going crazy again and was about to persuade him when a gust of wind and sand rolled up.
"Is this...!" Waver's eyes widened as he felt the madness of the magic around him.
The terrifying magic enveloped the entire area. In the originally silent wasteland, there was a whistling wind, and then sand and dust suddenly swept in! The soldiers drew their weapons and turned to the sky in response to their king.
"Breaking the country is the bottom; the whole country is the top. That is for conquest!"
The soldiers' voices were unanimous, as if they were about to tear the world apart.
"What is conquest?" Rider asked again.
"Breaking the army is the bottom; the whole army is the top. That is for conquest!"
The soldiers replied again with a deafening voice that resounded through the sky.
"What is conquest?"
Rider summoned his warhorse and rolled onto it, his voice even higher pitched than before.
"Breaking people is the bottom; the whole people are the top. That is for conquest!"
Rider nodded in satisfaction, then asked one last question.
"Where is our ultimate realm?"
"The end of the sea of stars!"
"The end of the sea of stars!"
"The end of the sea of stars!"
The cries of the soldiers grew louder and louder, covering almost the entire heavens and the earth. At this time, Rider showed an arrogant smile and waved his sword as if he were about to cut the space in front of him.
"We are going to the edge of heaven to attend a feast!"
The soldiers' eyes were blood-red, their chests burning with rage, and their voices piercing the sky.
"No one can stop us!"
"No one can stop us!"
"No one can stop us!"
...
Perhaps for the soldiers, Rider's last words are what they follow, and that is what Rider ultimately pursued — the Endless Sea! Whether that area exists or not can be determined with a globe. It didn't exist at all; it was just a dream that the conquerors of the past blindly pursued.
But is that really the case? That endless sea naturally does not exist in the physical world, but what if it exists in the heart? In just a few words, the military morale that was originally shaken by Shirou's attack was completely stabilized, and it was even stronger than before!